Why can’t Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty win the Heisman Trophy?
The odds are understandably long, but just how unrealistic is it?
Since 2015, we’ve only seen two non-quarterbacks win the award with Derrick Henry in 2015 and DeVonta Smith in 2020. Furthermore, it’s been almost 25 years since we’ve seen a non-quarterback from a non-powerhouse program win the award when Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne won it in 1999.
This tells us that Jeanty is fighting an uphill battle on two fronts. First, he’s a running back and running backs rarely win the award anymore. Secondly, he’s from a non-powerhouse program. More than that, he’s from a non-Power 4 program, making it much harder to attain.
But what if he keeps up this pace?
Through two games, Jeanty has amassed a filthy good stat line of 45 carries, 459 yards and nine touchdowns. All of those numbers are wildly impressive, but his explosiveness takes the cake. He averages 10.2 yards per carry, which tells me that his superpower is racking up yards after contact and turning ordinary plays into extraordinary plays. He’s just playing College Football 25 through two weeks.
If Jeanty keeps this pace (or something even in the ballpark) can he win the Heisman Trophy? Probably not. Could he receive an invite to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony? I certainly hope so.
Does Notre Dame have a Marcus Freeman problem?
In less than three full seasons as Notre Dame head coach, Marcus Freeman now has upset losses to Northern Illinois, Marshall and a 3-9 Stanford team to his name. How concerned should Notre Dame brass and fans be?
This feels pretty concerning from where I sit. Let me explain.
For a long time, the Irish program has firmly straddled the good-but-not-great space in the sport. Notre Dame has been no stranger to big postseason appearances or 10/11-win seasons. Consistently good but not great.
But since Brian Kelly’s departure and Freeman’s hire, the Irish have found unique ways to lose as big favorites. And those losses have compounding effects. Take this year for example.
Now that Notre Dame has this bad loss to its name, it’ll likely need to win out to reach the College Football Playoff. It eliminates any room for error in a sport that is a landmine for errors.
Plus, this Irish team is a pretty mature squad (especially on defense), meaning it will likely lose a lot of talent in the NFL Draft in April. The chips are in the center of the table for Notre Dame in 2024.
This is the year for Notre Dame to take the next step. Reach the College Football Playoff. Win a game or two. Vault itself into the true upper echelon of the sport. Saturday was a huge step back in that regard. And now there’s no room for error the rest of the way.
Was Saturday night the beginning of the end for Deion Sanders and Colorado?
Saturday night’s matchup against upstart Nebraska was the perfect backdrop for Deion Sanders and the Colorado program to shut up the doubters. The Buffaloes did anything but.
Nebraska’s offensive and defensive lines ripped CU limb from limb. The crowd mocked the all-hat no-cattle energy Colorado brought to the table. And the home team dominated nearly every facet of the game, despite failing to score or produce much offensively in the second half.
If the 2023 Buffaloes’ season was a strange smell coming from the basement, Saturday night was a large crack in the foundation.
It was a stark dichotomy to watch a second-year team under Matt Rhule whitewash a second-year team under Deion Sanders. Two programs, two different trajectories.
Colorado’s inability and unwillingness to run the ball is a problem. Colorado’s revamped offensive and defensive lines are problems. Colorado’s bad playcalling and poor roster construction are problems.
This will not end well for the Buffaloes.
I don’t intend to make light of Sanders’ health problems. But if Colorado finishes 3-9 or 4-8 and Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are out the door, are we going to hear that Coach Prime intends to step away from the role due to health concerns? It wouldn’t shock me.
What’s the deal with Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington?
Early Sunday morning Central time, Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington knocked down a 25-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Ducks to a 37-34 win over Boise State.
Perhaps I was delirious due to the post-midnight football, but I could not get over the fact that Oregon has a kicker named Atticus Sappington. I needed to know more.
Here are a few fun facts about Sappington:
Before joining Oregon in the offseason, he spent two seasons as a kicker at…you guessed it…arch rivals Oregon State. You don’t see that every day.
In high school, he lettered in both football and soccer. Because, well, with a name like that, how could he not play the beautiful game? With a name like Atticus, I hope he was a Central Attacking Midfielder (CAM).
He’s the son of two successful chefs and restauranteurs in the Portland area.
At Oregon State, his teammates nicknamed him “Automaticus”, because of how accurate he was.
Cheers to Automaticus and whatever he cooks up for an encore performance for the rest of the 2024 season.
How badly does Cincinnati regret hiring Scott Satterfield?
Fourteen games into the Scott Satterfield era, things do not appear to be trending upward for the Cincinnati Bearcats football program.
In 2023, Cincinnati struggled to adapt in its first year in the Big 12, limping to a woeful 3-9 record overall and a 1-8 record in league play. In the offseason, Satterfield all but admitted that in Year 1, he tried too hard to emulate previous head coach Luke Fickell. Year 2 would be different, he said.
Through two weeks, things are more of the same for the Bearcats. On Saturday, Cincinnati blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and lost to an equally out-of-sorts Pitt team 28-27. Satterfield is just 14 games into a six-year contract and I just can’t but help think that the Bearcats’ brass might regret that contract now, if not soon.
Two years into a job, you can usually get a good read on a coaching situation. Satterfield better shape up quickly or he might be on the hot seat heading into next season.